An Oakland County Democrat has recently shown support for the Republican governor's proposal on state health care.

In an unusual political move, a recent resolution brought in front of a county Board of Commissioners meeting by Marcia Gershenson, D-Bloomfield Township, showed agreement for Gov. Rick Snyder's recently-proposed acceptance of federal funding under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

Language in the Snyder proposal states that Medicaid minimum eligibility level should include those with household income up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

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Gershenson, citing a recent study by tax specialists Jackson Hewitt, says employers will be forced to pay penalties for their low-income employees who could have received Medicaid under Snyder's reform, causing tax penalties on Michigan employers by up to $81 million each year, if the reform doesn't happen.

"Gov. Snyder has also proposed setting aside a portion of the approximately $1.1 billion savings to the state over a ten-year period into a fund to offset costs to the state in the future," said Gershenson.

A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute revealed that about 12 percent of Oakland County residents are uninsured and don't have access to private or public health insurance.

At a recent Board of Commissioners meeting, Gershenson said this reform will promote the growth of the health care industry and benefit an estimated 42,000 to 54,000 Oakland County working residents currently unable to obtain coverage.

A recent bill in the state House brought forth by Republican Reps. Matt Lori and Al Pscholka won't automatically include those with income at 133 percent of the poverty level. Instead, with the proposed Republican bill, Michigan would charge those included under the umbrella of Obamacare to pay a fee at 5 percent of their annual income.

In a Thursday release, Pscholka, R-Stevensville, said the bill rebukes the expansion of a "failed federal program that has shown time and time again it does not work well."